Fence-loom.



No. 772,449. 'PATENTED 001". 1a, 1904. 0. A. WILL'MARTH & J. s. BARNES.

FENCE LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1903.

NO MODEL. V panama-sun 1.

PATENTED OUT. 18, 1904. Y

G. A. WILLMARTH & J. S. BARNES.

FENCE LOOM.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1903. N0 MODEL.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 772,449. v PVATENTED OCT. 18, 1904;.v

0. A. WILLMARTH & J. s. BARNES.

FENCE LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14. 1903.

vNo MODEL. 5 SHEBTSSHEET a.

Maw saw No. 772,449. 'PATENTED OCT. 18, 1904. C. A. WILLMARTH- & J. S. BARNES.

FENCE LOOM.

APPLIUATION nun saw. 14. 1903.

NO MODEL,

W 5 h 1 a w. RNNANNZQQ w No. 772,449. PATENTED 001 18, 1904. 0. A. WILLMAR'TH & J. s. BARNES.

FENCE LOOM.

APPLICATION rum) saw. 14. 1903 V 5 snnzrs-$nnm 5.

UNITED STATES Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. WIIJLMARTH AND JOHN S. BARNES, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO MAJESTIC WIRE FENCE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF DE- TROIT, MICHIGAN.

FENCE-LOOM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,449, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed September 14, 1903. Serial No. 173,105- (No model.)

T0 (LZZ whom it may-concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. WILL- MARTH and JOHN S. BARNES, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State ofMichigan, have invented a drawings, which form apart of this specifica tion.

Our invention relates to an improvement in looms for the manufacture of wire fence and is shown in theaccompanying drawings, and more particularly set forth in the following specification and claims.

the loom. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, Fig. 4 is an end elevation with parts broken away and looking toward the hangers supporting the twisting-gears. Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective of parts of the'machine. is another detail view of one of the parts.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a detail of the clutch mechanism, showing the belts secured to the pulley controlled by the clutch mechanism. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a detail of the loom, showing one of 'the driving-belts I crossed, the other being straight, whereby the motion given to the twisting-gears is reversed by shifting the belts after the insertion of each picket.

The object of our invention is to provide a machine which willv construct the wire fence shown in our application for patent, filed the 6th day of October, 1902, Serial No. 126,062,

in a rapid and thoroughly practical manner.

Referring to the letters of reference shown in the drawings, A is the frame of the machine.

B represents the line-wires, andC represents the pickets.

D D are a series of hangers adjustably mounted on the cross-bar D.

E E are a series of spiral twisting-gears Fig. 6

I provided with an extended hub by which they are supported in the hangers D.

e is a plate secured to the end of the hub to retain the hub in the hanger.

e is an arm secured to the hub and provided with a cross arm or spreader 6 in which are provided apertures through which the line-wires B pass. v

F is ashaft on which are mounted a series of grooved rolls F for guiding the wire to' the loom. j

G G denote the reels from which thewire is fed.

H is a shaft suitablymounted, on which are fixed the spiral drivinggears H, meshing with the twisting-gears E. This shaft at one side of the machine is provided with a bevelgear H meshing with a slmilar gear I-on the 1n the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of.

has a cross member J, to which is secured an angle-iron provided with notches through" which passthe line-wires. The carriage J is provided with rack-bars J on both sides {of the macl1ine.-meshing with the gears J J mounted on: the shaft K.

L is a shaft provided with a clutch-gear mechanism L controlling the pulley If;

Z is a strap or belt, one end of which is secured to the pulley L and passes over and is secured to the pulley K, the other end being engaged with the pulley L belt, secured to the pulley L which passes under and is secured to the pulley K. Both belts Z and Z are secured to the pulley L and to the pulley K, the wrapping being in opposite directions on the pulley L whereby,

whichever direction the pulley L may turn due to the direction in which the twistinggears are turning, the shaft, with the gear J on which the pulley K is mounted, will be rotated, so as to drive the carriage away from the twisting-gears the predetermined distance between pickets, carrying with it the picket I lodged back of the angle-iron j and drawing forward the line-wires, the gears twisting the,

Z is a similar strands of the line-wires together as they pass through them.

The pulley L is loosely mounted on its shaft, but is caused to rotate with the same when the clutch mechanism L is brought into action. The clutch mechanism L consists of a gear L fixed to the shaft L. Adapted to engage the gear is a pair of dogs L pivoted in a suitable casting secured to the pulley.

L is a spring designed to force the dogs L into locking engagement with the gear L".

L represents arms pivoted to the dogs L and to the bar L, provided at one end with a suitable handle, the other end entering a socket in the casting to which the dogs are pivoted, which serves also as its guide. By forcing the bar L toward the pulley the arms L will spread the dogs L apart, and thus allow the pulley to turn freely on the shaft. By pulling out the bar the dogs will engage the gear through the action of the spring L and the pulley L will be locked to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 7

K is an operating-lever to throw the reciprocating carriage back to its initial position to receive the newly-inserted picket.

L is an operating-lever, by which the slack is taken up in the belts Z or Z when a change is made by reversing the motion given to the twisting-gears. It is also employed to drive forward the carriage which carries the picket into the crotch formed by the strands of the line-wires before power is applied to the twisting-gears.

On the outstanding end of the shaft L is a bevel-gear L meshing with a similar gear M, mounted on the shaft M. The shaft M is driven by the spur-gear M meshing with a pinion z', mounted on the driving-shaft 1. Mounted on the shaft M is a slotted disk N, provided with a series of pins 71, a, 7'1 and n mounted in the slotted way.

P is a lever pivoted to the frame of the machine controlling the belt-shifting mechanism 1? and manually operated through the arm P controlling the same. This lever P is pro- Vided with a stud or pin 1), by which it is thrown when the pins n and 12/ engage the same, thereby stopping the machine for the insertion of a new picket between the linewires.

a is a stop secured to the frame of the machine to limit the movement of the disk in either direction when either of the pins a or n engage the same.

Q, is an idler over which the fence passes to the winding-drum Q. This winding-drum is provided with suitable automatic means (not shown) for winding the fence as it passes from the machine, the features of which are the subject of another application.

To start the machine, the arm P is thrown so that the lever P, controlling the belt-shift ing mechanism, throws the driving-belt R or R onto the drivingpulley. The twisting gears are thereby set in motion and the wires twisted over the picket just inserted until the disk rotates suiliciently to bring the pin 1/" in contact with the pin 7), secured to the lever l. A further movement operates this lever when the disk is stopped by-the belt being shifted on the loose pulley and the pin 11" being brought in contact with the stop a. The stop-pins on the disk N are so adjusted with reference to the twisting-gears that the gears are stopped at a point which insures an open loop through all the line wires for the insertion of the picket through the several strands. This will be readily understood, as when either of the pins n n come in contact with the stop a, secured to the frame, further rotation of the disk 'N is prevented, and if the driving-belt has not completely passed onto the loose pulley it will at once do so. After the insertion of another picket through the open loops the operation just described is repeated with the exception that the manually-operated arm I is thrown in the opposite direction from that just described, bringing the crossed drivingbelt R onto the driving-pulley, thereby cansing the line-wires to be twisted in the direction opposite to that given to the strands preceding the picket just inserted. By reversing the twisting of the line-wires between pickets the structure is made much morerigid and it neutralizes in a large measure the natural expansion and contraction of the fence. There is a further :ulvantage gained by reversing the twist between the pickets, as it prevents the snarling of the wires fed to the loom. By providing the twisting-gears with the arm a, to which is secured the spreader orcross-bar e, the wires are kept apart a sufiicient distance from the twisting-gems to admit of their being readily fed through them. It will be understood that the wire is loosely twisted before reaching the spreader as it is fed to the machine, but when the twistinggears are reversed after the insertion of the next picket this twist will be reversed, so that the wires fed to the machine will remain practically disengaged from each other.

The disk N being provided with a slotted way admits of the adjustment of the stop-pins, controlling the stoppage of the machine for the insertion of a new picket. By adjusting the pins in the disk the pickets may be spaced any desired distance apart, the number of twists given to the line-wires being regulated according to the distance between the pickets.

Referring again to the guide-rolls F on the shaft F, it has been found in practice that the rolls which are keyed to the shaft not only insure the necessary tension to the wires as they are fed from the reels to the loom, but in case one or more of the wires become entangled as they leave the reels the other wires drawing on the guide-rolls serve to force the disentanglement of the wire, thereby insuring a uniform feed to all wires. In place of the grooved rolls a grooved shaft may be employed, but we prefor to provide the grooved rolls as they can be adjusted on the shaft so that the wires may be placed any required distance apart. 1

The operation of the loom will be readily understood. Wires from the reels are threaded around the grooves in the guide-rolls and through the apertures in the twisting-gears.

in the disk N. When the stop n in the disk comes in contact with the stop 9, controlling the belt-shifting lever, the belt is thrown onto the idler and the machine stops, and, as before explained,-the stops are 'so adjusted that an open loop will be formed by the twisted wires in line with each other to admit of the manual insertion of the next picket. Before inserting this picket the lever K is operated, which causes the shaft K to rotate and with it the gear meshing with the rack J This throws the reciprocating carriage back to its initial position adjacentto the twisting-gears with the loop just referred to at the back of the upstanding forked portion y'of the reciprocating carriage. The picket is then inserted through the open loops (being guided in its progress by the angle-iron j) and the lever L again operated to force the picket snugly against the crotch formed by the twisted portion of the line-wires, taking up the slack in the other belt now brought into action, as be: fore explained. The lever P is again operated, applying power to the twisting-gears,

and the operation just described is repeated with the exception that the twists given to the line-wires are reversed between each adjacent picket. The completed fence is now carried over the idler Q and automatically wound on the drum Q, by means which are the subject-matter of another application.

By making the hangers D D adjustable on the cross-bar D any desired number of linewires may be provided for any given width of fence, and the spacing of the line-wires may be either uniform throughout or closer to:

gether at the bottom of the fence, if desired.-

' Having thus described our invention, what we cla1m 1s 1. In a wire-fence machine, a series of twist-- ating said twisting gears, a traveling carriage to engage the fence-picket and carry it to a predetermined distance while the line-wires are being twisted, and means for controlling the travel of said carriage consisting of a disk N having a channel-way in which are secured adjustable stops, a lever controlling the beltshifting mechanism, the belt-shifting mechanism, and means whereby the stops in the disk may control the lever-shifting mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In a wire-fence machine twisting-gears provided with apertures through which the line-wires are fed, a reciprocating carriage for carrying the stay and drawing the w1res through the twlstlng-gears, means for reversing the twisting-gears consisting of a straight and crossed driving-belt, means for shifting said belts alternately onto the driving-pulley of the machine whereby the twist given the Wires between one set of pickets will be reversed between the next set of pickets, and means for controlling the travel of the reciprocating carriage, substantially as described.

3. In a wire-fence machine, the twistinggears, means for operating the twisting-gears, the reciprocating carriage J provided with the rack-bar J the gear J meshing with said rack-bar, .pulley K to drive the gear J pulley L belts Z and Z their ends being secured to the pulleys K and L clutch mechanism L for locking the pulley L onto its shaft and means for operating said pulley L substantially as described.

' 4:. Inawire-fence machineaseries of twisting-gears, means for operating said twistinggears, the driving and loose pulleys I 1 and I, the driving-belts, means for shifting alternately the driving-belts onto the driving-pulley, adjustable means for controlling the beltshifting mechanism, whereby the distance between pickets may be regulated, substantially as described.

5. In a wire-fence machine, twisting-gears provided with apertures through which the line-wires are fed, a reciprocating carriage for carrying the stay and drawing the wires through the twisting-gears, the driving-shaft,

the tight and loose pulleys, straight and crossed driving-belts, the belt-shifting mechanism, and the disk N operated from the driving-shaft and provided with adjustable means for governing the belt-shifting mechanism, substantially as described.

6. In a wire-fence machine a series of twisting-gears, means for operating said twistinggears, the driving and loose pulleys-I I and I, the driving-belts, means for shifting alternately each driving-belt onto the tight and loose pulleys, and the diskN suitably mountedv and geared to the driving-shaft and provided with adjustable engaging means'controlling the belt-shifting mechanism, substantially as described.

IIS

7. In a wire-fence machine, twisting-gears provided with apertures through which the line-wires are fed, a reciprocating carriage for carrying the stay and -drawing the wires through the twisting-gears, the driving-shaft, tight and loose pulleys, I 1 and I mounted thereon, straight and crossed driving-belts,

v means operated from the driving-shaft for shifting them alternately onto the drivingpulley, and means for operating the rccipro- IO eating carriage, substantially as described,

In testimony whereof we sign this specilication in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. \VILLMARIH. JOHN S. BARNES. Witnesses:

HENRY E. VILLEROT, S. E. THOMAS. 

